


Collecting the Hints

by Listentothelittlebird



Series: Code Bat [24]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: (or not), Alternate Universe, Code Bat, Gen, Identity Reveal, Not Canon Compliant, Roy has been collecting clues for years, it’s painfully obvious for him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listentothelittlebird/pseuds/Listentothelittlebird
Summary: Roy isn’t stupid. He’s been hanging around all of them for years - did they really expect him to be that oblivious?(Or, Roy stringing the Bats together.)
Relationships: Jason Todd & Tim Drake, Roy Harper & Dick Grayson, Roy Harper & Jason Todd
Series: Code Bat [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964452
Comments: 97
Kudos: 670





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EvieV](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=EvieV), [SarahAimee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahAimee/gifts).



> SarahAimee and EvieV commented about Roy possibly knowing about the Bats because of how much crap he has to see around them in [Red Birds Stick Together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26969437)
> 
> I really loved the more crackish take that they thought of in their comments, but I decided to go for the calmer route with this XD I hope everyone enjoys regardless!

Roy knows things. He’s good at seeing them, at least. He figured being an archer had made him observant. He remembers things, too - small bits and pieces that snowball and add up only when they are put together.

He remembers back when the Titans were still young and new to working with each other, back when they were still figuring out each other and themselves. A large fire had broken out at an apartment block. There were people still in the building, and the Titans were working together to get everyone out before the building collapsed.

Nightwing dove straight into the burning building.

Later, when the building was evacuated, when Nightwing emerged largely unscathed, hugging to his chest a young child, the Titans collectively flipped, mostly in relief, but also in concern and pent-up anxiety.

“What were you thinking?” Kori huffed irritably, gesturing to the still-burning building beside them. Garth was helping to put out the fire, else he would have been right beside them, glaring Nightwing down. The acrobat shrugged, a sheepish smile breaking out between his clenched teeth.

“Take that stupid thing out of your mouth!” Donna exclaimed, her brows furrowing in curiosity despite her anger, “What is it, anyway?”

“A rebreather,” Nightwing explained after spitting out the black mouthpiece. He grinned, “Rule number one: always have a rebreather at hand.” The words seemed to come from someone else, if the purposefully lowered tone was anything to go by.

Roy frowned and reached a hand out to inspect it, with Nightwing’s permission. The rebreather was compact but effective - it was of good quality, too, like how Ollie’s arrows were. 

“It helped me breathe through the smoke of the fire,” Nightwing explained to a confused-looking Donna, “I come prepared, guys. You don’t have to worry about me.”

There was a collective scoff.

~

“Who the hell had the bright idea of making a blue Kryptonite fog to sell to Luthor?” Roy growled out, defending Red Hood as he slipped his helmet off and over Bizarro’s head. It would hopefully help to filter out the harmful gas, just until they were able to get him back to base.

“An absolute asshole, that’s who,” Red Hood bit back, patting down his jacket and shoving something into Roy’s hand. “Better wear these,” he explained, muffled by whatever he had stuffed into his mouth, “I don’t fancy finding out what this gas does to humans.”

The rebreather was black, small, and simple. The design had been improved, but it was of a similar quality, of a similar standard, to the one he had seen with another vigilante. He kept his observation to himself - Bizarro was the priority, at the moment.

“Why do you have two rebreathers?” Roy asked later, when Bizarro was in a stable condition, weak but recovering from the blue Kryptonite exposure.

Jay shrugged, smirked, and echoed, “Rule number one: always have a rebreather at hand. Having a spare doesn’t hurt, either.”

Roy instantly thought back to when he first heard the same phrase, but outwardly, he shrugged and left to check on Bizarro again.

~

He remembered the first time the Titans celebrated their birthdays together.

Dick opened his present and cackled, pulling out the new hoodie with an excited gleam in his eyes. It was a grey hoodie with a Nightwing logo on its chest, one of the first articles of clothing to use his symbol. It was part of a whole series that had the logos of each Titan.

“You found one? Did you find yourselves some, too?”

“We did, but they were all kiddie sizes,” Wally laughed, “I dunno if you’ll be able to fit into this one, even.”

Dick tried anyway - he managed to squeeze into it, much to everyone’s amusement, but it was a tight fit. He still used it as much as he could, despite that.

“My uniforms are tight, anyway,” Dick would shrug with a grin. It was a while before he gave up wearing the hoodie, in favour of looser fits.

~

“Where did you get that hoodie from?” Lian questioned curiously, hanging off the edge of the couch. Roy was irrationally concerned for her bumping her head on the ground, despite what he knew about his daughter. It must be a parent thing.

Roy switched his gaze to where Lian was staring, and there was David Fletcher - Canvas - sinking into the other side of the large couch in Titans tower. 

“He got it from Red Robin,” Jon offered as he flew into the room, “We both got soaked in the bay, and he had no clothes to change into. Did Red ever ask for it back, David?”

“Tt. No,” David replied, his hands stuffed deep into the hoodie pockets, “It’s an old jacket, anyway - I doubt he’d be able to fit into it, himself.”

Roy spared David’s jacket a glance, and he noted the faded, flaked-apart pattern of a blue bird insignia on the front of the hoodie. Roy hummed quietly to himself and returned to his phone.

~

“I think Jay and David are related,” Lian blurted one night over dinner.

“Why’s that?” Roy asked, raising a curious eyebrow. Lian pushed around her food for a moment, before setting down her fork and lifting her eyes to meet his.

“They both walk like Shadows,” Lian stated firmly, “And their ways of fighting are definitely inspired by techniques taught within the League. Both of them have found ways to make the techniques non-lethal - aside from that, there’s certain fighting techniques they use that are pretty similar, a unique style that they share. It means that even if they didn’t meet in the League, they definitely met after their original training.”

Roy listened silently, nodding when she finished.

“I get what you mean,” Roy confirmed, “And you haven’t been around Jay enough to know this, but when he’s injured or tired, he’s as silent as a ghost. I’ve seen David do the same, as if he’s not even conscious of it.”

Lian huffed irritably, “He scared me, doing that. I can’t believe he can be that stealthy without even trying. That takes practice, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Roy agreed, and silently remembered the earlier days of the Titans. Nightwing was loud and energetic, but Dick had jumped them constantly by popping up from seemingly nowhere behind them, speaking up only for them to turn to him with weapons brandished. He had always looked genuinely surprised at their reactions.

“Has David ever used a rebreather, before?” Roy asked, just to see if his theory held firm.

“Yes - sort of,” Lian nodded without missing a beat, “There was a gas leak the other day, on patrol. He gave Jon one and ranted at him later for not having one of his own. ‘Rule number one: always have a rebreather at hand.’ That was what he said. Not sure where he got that from, though.”

Roy “hmphed” in thought. “You should finish your dinner before it gets cold,” he pointed out, instead of expressing his suspicions.

~

Jay was relaxing in the Outlaws base, with Roy nearby. 

There was a chirp from his comms, words that were too quiet for Roy to hear, but Jay tensed visibly. He shot to his feet, and his face was pale as he brushed past Roy. 

“Biz! Biz, where’s your brother?”

Bizarro frowned, tilting his head to the side as he listened out for his siblings’ heartbeats. His eyes widened just as Jay slipped his helmet onto his face, tugging on his jacket and holstering his guns. Roy wordlessly gathered his gear.

“Kon-El hurt!” Biz exclaimed, and Roy imagined the large figure would burst out of their base if Jay had not placed a placating hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll come with you,” Jay stated firmly, “Just tell me where to find them.”

“Me too,” Roy piped up, and Jay snapped his gaze to him. “You don’t know what you’re stepping into,” Roy explained slowly, “The more people, the better.”

Jay regarded him for a tight moment, and he could feel the man’s calculative gaze under his helmet. He shook his head, then jerked his head towards the hanger. “You’re piloting the jet,” he grunted.

Roy would realise soon enough that the reason Jay made him pilot was so that he could drop down from the aircraft before it landed. By the time Roy had landed the jet in a discrete location, the main fighting was over. Bizarro was cradling Kon-El’s unconscious form, and Jay was shoving him towards the exit, ordering him to get his brother help. Bizarro was eager to comply, bursting past Roy and leaving a gush of wind in his wake.

There was a door still closed, at the back of the room, behind all the unconscious thugs.

Jay strided towards the door, picking the lock with the ease of practice and experience. He hesitated just before prying it open, and Roy felt his gaze flick towards him.

“I’ll protect the entrance,” Roy offered, and turned his back to the door.

Jay gave no verbal response, but the door creaked open behind him. He made a guttural sound in his throat at whatever he found. 

Roy heard the sounds of cuffs falling to the ground. There was a muted thud, a body falling limp against another.

“Red Robin,” Jay spoke tersely, “Red, can you hear me?”

There was a pained groan. Roy swore he could hear a weak “Jay?” echo behind him.

“Where are you injured?” Jay questioned. His voice cracked. He was met with silence. “Red Robin?” he pressed. Ragged breathing.

“ _Robin_. Report.”

That garnered a response.

“Concussion,” was mumbled first, “Brok’n ribs, def’n’tly broken. Left ankle. Dis’l-cated shoulder, but I think… I think it popped back in.” Roy cringed, but he stayed where he was.

“I think s’a few stab wounds, too,” Red Robin’s words slurred, “Not… not sure h-how many…” 

Jay cursed. “Hang on,” he ordered, and Roy thought he heard a sharp “Tim!” when there was no response.

There were a few more exchanged words before Jay emerged, Red Robin’s battered form curled in his arms. The scene looked familiar, Roy mused. He had seen a similar sight just moments ago.

Jay directed the jet towards a safehouse he had nearby. If Jay held Red Robin’s form a bit tightly, with more familiarity than a mere stranger, Roy said nothing. When Jay told him to take the jet back to base without them, Roy obliged. If he convinced Artemis, Bizarro and Kori not to contact Jay or look for him for a few days, well. What were friends for?

So, yeah, Roy knows things, and was very much aware that others miss what he sees. He was pretty fine with that.


	2. The Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason Todd-Wayne returns from the dead, and a gala is organised in celebration.

They thought they were funny, Roy mused to himself, with an internal roll of his eyes. They thought they were so smart and secretive, when Roy had figured them out a while ago.

The moment that Roy had seen the video of the Gotham robot’s defeat, the final pieces clicked into place. He knew everything except who had taught all of the brothers, whether they had taught each other or had been tutored under a common mentor. He had expected to have at least heard of the name of their mentor in passing - he was just surprised at who their mentor was, exactly.

Of course Jay was from Gotham. The accent that he let slip whenever agitated or injured practically _screamed_ an upbringing on unforgiving street corners and shadowed alleys. 

Roy already knew Jay was legally dead, and he was unsurprised when he saw Bruce Wayne’s announcement of the return of his “thought-to-be-dead” son, Jason Todd-Wayne.

He did let out a snort when it “just so happened” that Ollie was unable to go for the gala celebrating Jason’s return, and so was asked to attend in his place. He wondered for a brief moment if it was a coincidence that Ollie got a monitor duty shift at that specific time, and he decided no, one of them definitely planned this.

Roy was only in the Wayne Manor ballroom for several moments before he was lightly tapped on the shoulder.

Cassandra Cain-Wayne was eyeing him with a calculative look as he turned around. Her head was tilted in thought, before a knowing smile graced her face. 

“You know?” she wondered, and he felt like her gaze had already found the answer. Regardless, Roy nodded with a chuckle, “S’not that hard to realise, when you’ve been around them all for this long.”

Cassandra grinned brightly, extending a hand out to him. “Cass,” she stated, as he shook her hand. “I’m Roy,” he returned, and made to pull away his hand. Instead, Cass squeezed lightly, and started tugging him through the ballroom, weaving around the crowds of socialites around them.

Cass guided Roy out of the ballroom and towards a closed door a few corridors away. Cass released his hand and knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open.

“Found him,” Cass declared, and pulled the door open for Roy to step through.

Two very recognisable young men were leaning against the couch in the room, instead of actively sitting on it like normal people. He noted with amusement that they both seemed to be wearing the same brand of formal wear, and was further amused to realise that the only time he had seen them in tuxedos before this moment were during undercover investigations.

The one perched on the armrest straightened up and smiled brightly at him with his signature grin, while the other, leaning against the back of the couch, only inclined their head towards him in greeting. The black dye was already fading from his white lock of hair.

“Hey, Roy!” Dick greeted cheerily, and paused as if waiting for a reaction. When Roy only gave an unimpressed stare in response, Dick deflated with a sigh. 

“You know already, don’t you? Dang, I’ve been waiting all day to see your reaction!” Dick whined, then cast an accusatory stare at his brother, “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Jay - Jason - snorted. “Nah,” he responded with a shake of his head, finally turning to smirk at Roy, “I just figured he’s known for a while, at this point.”

“No shit,” Roy deadpanned, “I may not have known your real identities, but after that time you got Dickface off an alien planet? Hell, why wouldn’t I suspect something?”

Truth be told, he was internally reeling at seeing his friends without their masks. Dick had bright blue eyes that fit with his costume, and Jason’s eyes were a mixed hue of blue and green. He had always wondered how they’d look without their masks, and at the moment, they just looked… normal, really, if a bit naked.

“I wonder if Kori has any suspicions of her own,” Dick chuckled, settling back on the armrest. Cass perched on the back of the couch, and Roy was starting to think this was normal for them.

“Last I checked, Kori thought Jay had reasoned logically to the alien, as a non-biased third-party,” Roy informed them, and sighed in amusement, “That incident was a one-time event for her. Me? I’ve seen all four of you on several occasions, and damn, if it isn’t obvious.”

“Called it,” came from the door, and Roy near-jumped as he swivelled to face Timothy Drake-Wayne, holding the door open for Damian Wayne with a smirk, “Jason, you owe me a week of breakfast.”

Jason rolled his eyes with a muttered “pain in the ass”, a fond smile on his lips. 

“Shouldn’t you guys, I don’t know, be out there entertaining your guests?” Roy pointed out with a raised eyebrow. 

“Tt. We are taking a break, is all,” Damian sniffed dismissively, “The crowd can be overwhelming at times. Besides, Father can entertain the whole ballroom, just fine.”

Father. _Right_. Roy would have to constantly remind himself of that fact - Jason was the furthest from the “rich kid” stereotype he expected from one of _the_ Bruce Wayne’s children, even if the man happened to be Batman. Then again, Dick was no better.

“And when were you gonna tell me you had rich-Dad-issues, too?” Roy questioned Jason with narrowed eyes. There were several snickers of laughter, some suppressed, some not. Jason himself barked out a laugh.

“Hey, both of us managed to resolve our issues in the end, didn’t we?” Jason shot back.

That was true. While Roy was still independent from Ollie, they did communicate often. They were on good enough terms that Roy would bring Lian to see Ollie, from time to time. Lian took great delight in poking fun at the older man, and it was always fun to watch Ollie sputter. 

“S’one of my regrets about the whole Code Bat thing,” Jason admitted after a beat, shifting restlessly while shooting Roy a rueful smile, “It’d have been too easy for you to make the connections, if I’d told you about all of my own shitty experiences.”

“It’s the past,” Roy shrugged casually, and watched contentedly as Jason’s shoulders relax. “Although,” Roy added, “I think you guys all owe me one, for not saying anything. Some explanations would be nice, too.”

“Tomorrow,” Jason promised, then grinned, “And I’ll throw in a tour of the city, by the rooftop express. First class views.”

“Do I get to see your Batcave?”

“You’d have to run that one through B,” Dick piped up with a grin. Roy shook his head immediately, making a sour face, “No thanks, then. The fact that the guy’s your Dad makes no difference to how intimidating he is.”

Later, Roy thinks back to the times when he’s seen the four bat-kids angry, and he thinks, yeah, they’re the Batman’s kids. They were all intimidating in their own rights, when they wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :DDD


End file.
